Traitors

I almost stopped watching because I was not in the mood for subtitles, but then Malika, the lead character, came on the screen and I fell in love with her immediately. Very rarely have I run into a character that just draws me in like this one. She's young and courageous. The scenery was incredible, and the story was simply good. If I were the crew, I'd be very proud of this movie.

I wish I could get my money back , this was on my watchlist . Can't remember however you should keep your foreign movies separate from regular films. Not into reading movies to distracting from watching the picture. Nothing against it I'm just not into reading a whole movie.

"Traitors" (2013 release from Morocco; 83 min.) brings the story of Malika, a 25 yr. old woman in Tangiers, Morocco. As the movie opens, we see an all-girl punk band (named Traitors) during band practice as Malika wails "I am bored with Morocco!". A producer gets wind of the band, and when Malika meets the producer, the producer suggests recoding a demo in a professional studio. Of course, that is quite expensive and none of the Traitors girls can afford it. Malika, determined to grab this opportunity come hell or high water, decides to become a driver for a local drug gang so as to earn the necessary amount of money to go into the recording studio. As this point we are about 15-20 min. into the movie, but to tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.Couple of comments: this is the feature-length debut from writer-director Sean Gullette, best known for his acting (in movies such as Pi and Requiem For a Dream). Gullette made "Traitors" first as a shortie (more on that later). There are two main aspects to this movie: on the one hand, how a free-spirit punk rocker girl like Malika can survive in a conservative society as Morocco (at one point Malika's dad exasperates "You are 25, with no job and no husband. Don't you know what people think about that?"), and on the other hand the drug-gang related story line. From my perspective the society-related aspects work much better, and frankly also resonate deeper. Chaimae Ben Acha in the role of Malika brings a commanding break-out performance, just beautiful. Bottom line: "Traitors" is a fine movie, and I pretty much enjoyed it from start to finish. Not to mention that at just over 80 min., this flew by in no time."Traitors" is the February, 2015 release from Film Movement's on-going DVD-of-the-Month club of foreign and indie movies. As is always the case, the DVD comes with a bonus shortie, and this time we get the original "Traitors" (2011 release; 31 min.), and it's quite interesting to see which elements were transposed from the original shortie to the feature-length, and which didn't. Bottom line: "Traitors" is a worthy addition to the ever-growing Film Movement catalog of foreign and indie movies.

I approached this 2012 film from the music angle as the trailer shows an all-girl punk rock band (The title of the film comes from the band's name : "Traitors" - "not"The Traitors" says one member early in the film.. And, yes, that's how it starts. The Tangier-based band wants to get a recording contract. All they need is the money to buy studio time. That's all of the plot I'll give you because -if you've read my other reviews on Amazon, you know I hate "spoilers". I will say the rock music fills only the first 10 minutes of the film, so don't let that dissuade you from watching it.As I learned from the bios included as "special features" on the DVD, the New York trained director - Sean Guilette, who now resides in Tangier - made this film first as a 30 minute short. It got good response and he expanded it to the current 83-minute length. (As a nice touch Film Movement - the releasing company - has included the 30 minute version as a bonus. There is also what is called "Behind The Scenes Footage" which is really hand held raw footage of filming of some scenes with no narration).There's lots of excitement in the film as you are drawn to the ban's leader - with a face you will remember long after the film ends. I'm not sure I fully accepted the conclusion to the film (hence the 4 stars) but I enjoyed being taken (literally) for a ride as the band leader tries to get the money the band needs.The subtitles provided in English are easy to read .I hope you found this review both informative and helpful.Steve Ramm"Anything Phonographic"

This Moroccan film is set in Tangiers; we meet Malika who is the lead singer of an all girl punk band `Traitors'. They have an interesting homage to the Clash in `I'm so bored with Morocco'. Then they get the chance of a record deal, but the catch is they have to make their own demo and pay for the studio time.Being young they are all a bit light on money and all feel something will come up. Malika then meets a wheelchair bound drug crim in Samir. He makes her a lucrative offer, but she will need to drive a consignment of drugs from the factory to the port. After some reluctance she accepts. Once committed she is partnered up with a worn out drug mule and they are set on their way. What started out as a means to get some extra cash takes on a whole new meaning once Malika realises what she is dealing with.This is a film from American director Sean Gullette and he has given us a crime based Moroccan film that avoids a lot of clichés in terms of car chases etc. We also have a woman lead who is far from conventional and Chaimae Ben Acha as Malika puts in a noteworthy performance. In Arabic, French and some English with good sub titles in English. This is a film where the plot is a simple one, but the fabric around it adds to the complexity and makes for a compelling and rewarding watch